255: Chapter 255 "He" Has Arrived

Bai Wanwan turned her head at the sound, her lips curling slightly as she called out softly toward the cave entrance, "Zhu Xiu."

Zhu Xiu was still carrying a freshly hunted Snow Deer on his shoulder, which he casually tossed in front of Yan Lie.

Wet blood on the beast skin spread into a dark red pool on the ground.

Hearing her call, he didn't pause his step and strode directly into the Stone House.

"Zhu Xiu, I have something to tell you."

Bai Wanwan waved her sauce-covered hands at him.

Zhu Xiu walked over to her in a few steps, reaching out to wipe a smudge of sauce from her cheek with his thumb.

His rough thumb brushed against her tender skin as his thin lips parted slightly. "Just as well, I have something to say too."

Bai Wanwan blinked at him, a sly curve appearing at the corner of her lips. "Maybe we're going to talk about the same thing?"

Zhu Xiu's cold, stern eyes softened, and his lips curved up slightly. "Mhm. That Female from the Black Dog Tribe—the Male by her side matches the description of the Male who blocked you that day."

So it really was her...

"I ran into her outside today and tested her. She deliberately changed the subject and looked a bit guilty."

In that case, it really was Zhuo Ling!

Thinking about it, she was indeed the one with the most motive to move against her.

The other Females had only just tasted bitterness; even if they had the thought, they likely wouldn't have the courage to make such a decision.

"What do you want to do?"

Zhu Xiu walked to the side, washed his hands, and then came back to help her massage the meat slices.

If it were Zhu Xiu himself, at this stage, he wouldn't even need to be one hundred percent sure the other party did it before he retaliated.

But he knew his Little Female had her own ideas and plans, so he had come back to tell her the news.

He wanted to see what she intended to do first.

"I'll play with her for a bit first..."

Zhuo Ling wanted to kill her, so Bai Wanwan certainly wouldn't let it go with just a couple of slaps.

She had long grown accustomed to the survival of the fittest in this world; she would give an eye for an eye.

But before that, she wanted to collect some interest. Whatever Zhuo Ling cared about, she would destroy.

Mentioning Zhuo Ling affected her mood somewhat, so Bai Wanwan didn't mention her again after a few sentences.

With the help of several Beast Husbands, she quickly finished all the preparation work.

She turned and shouted to Yan Lie, who was skinning the animal outside, "Yan Lie, go and call your big brother over."

Yan Lie gave an affirmative shout and nimbly peeled off the entire skin before tossing the stone knife aside.

Wiping the blood from his hands, he said, "Alright, I'll head over now."

Once Yan Lie left, Bai Wanwan began heating the pot and adding oil, tossing in a small amount of Hot Pot base along with green onions, ginger, and garlic to stir-fry before adding water to boil.

The Males in the house could actually all eat spicy food now, but Yan Chi certainly couldn't yet.

So she added very little, basically just enough to give the taste buds a tiny bit of stimulation.

By the time the two brothers, Yan Lie and Yan Chi, arrived, Bai Wanwan was just putting all the vegetables into the pot.

As soon as Yan Chi entered the house, he let out a loud sneeze.

"Big brother, the smell in the house is a bit pungent. You and Yan Lie sit outside for a bit first," Bai Wanwan greeted him with a smile.

Yan Chi was quite surprised to see the Female busy in the kitchen upon entering.

Hearing her say this, and noting the smell in the room was indeed quite sharp, he followed Yan Lie outside to sit on a Stone Stool.

"Yan Lie, since you have already completed the Pairing Ceremony, you must take on the responsibility of looking after the Female..."

At this point, Yan Chi frowned in disapproval. "You are her Beast Husbands; you should cherish and take care of her. How can you let the Little Female do the work herself?"

Yan Lie wanted to cry out that he was being wronged; they usually couldn't bear for Wan Wan to be too tired.

But Wan Wan always said it was boring if she wasn't allowed to work. So when she occasionally felt like cooking on a whim, they couldn't stop her and could only assist from the side.

"Brother, we know..."

"You know, yet you still let the Little Female work by herself."

Yan Lie's lips twitched; he realized that no matter what he said, it would sound like an excuse.

"Brother, you're right. We should cherish our Consort even more."

After he spoke, he received a kick to the leg. "Then what are you still sitting here for? Get in there and help your Female with the work."

This was the home of Yan Lie and his Female; it wasn't appropriate for Yan Chi to help, so he could only make Yan Lie go.

Yan Lie had no choice but to shoulder the blame, though he had wanted to go help Wan Wan all along anyway.

So he turned around and ducked back into the house.

"Wan Wan, is there anything else left to do? Let me help you."

"No need, just keep your big brother company. The food is almost ready. The smell inside is a bit pungent, so we'll carry the pot outside in a moment..."

******

As the twilight deepened, a large team of Traveling Merchants slowly passed through the massive stone archway of the Golden Lion Tribe under the last rays of the sunset.

Heavy beast skin wheels rolled over the gravel road, making a dull sound that startled a few night owls perched on the walls.

Jin Yue walked at the very front of the group. He said to the Male beside him, "The Patriarch has instructed me to take everyone to rest first. I will take you to see the Patriarch tomorrow."

"Thank you," the other party replied briefly, his voice sounding like grinding gravel.

Passing through several winding flagstone paths, Jin Yue led the team to a secluded cluster of Stone Houses.

The rugged stone walls were covered in Luminous Vines, which emitted a faint blue glow in the dusk.

"You can rest here for now." Jin Yue pushed open the heavy wooden door. "Someone will bring food and fresh water later."

Once Jin Yue's footsteps had faded into the distance, the Male who had just spoken to him immediately turned and said respectfully to an inconspicuous dark figure in the crowd, "Captain, we can't see the Patriarch of the Golden Lion Tribe until tomorrow..."

"Mhm, no rush."

"It just so happens that the Harvest Festival is in a few days. Captain, can we..."

Before he could finish, the dark figure stepped out.

"Fine. We'll stay for a few extra days."

A tall figure stepped out from the darkness. His face was dark, as if coated with something, making it impossible to see his original features.

As his words fell, a cheer erupted from the Traveling Merchants.

The Mating Ceremony of the Harvest Festival was a rare opportunity for these drifting Males.

They might even be able to find a Female they liked here and start a family.

The Male looked at their joyful expressions but did not join in. He simply instructed, "You all rest first."

Then he turned and walked into the sunset.

"Is the Captain going to search again?"

Everyone was used to the Captain's behavior; he would walk through every corner of every Tribe.

The streets of the Golden Lion Tribe stretched out in the twilight.

The Male walked aimlessly. Every time he encountered a Female, his gaze would pause briefly before quickly moving away.

None of them were her.

This was already the eleventh Tribe.

Over the past year, his footsteps had covered all the large and small Tribes in the vicinity, yet he had never found that figure.

She had been taken away by Wandering Beasts. She was so clever; perhaps she could have survived at the hands of Wandering Beasts.

But he had seen that great fire!

Even though he knew hope was slim, he always hoped she was alive, just living in some corner he didn't know about.

Just as he was about to turn back, his gaze suddenly froze on a certain spot.

His pupils contracted violently, and the world seemed to stop at this moment.

He's here, he's here, he's coming with the Caravan...